Appeals and Complaints Policy

Appeals and Complaints Policy

APPEALING AN EDITORIAL DECISION

Authors who wish to appeal a rejection decision must submit a written appeal to editor.jls@gmail.com within 30 days of the decision notification. The appeal must clearly state the grounds for appeal — for example: a factual error in the review, substantial misunderstanding of the methodology, or failure to consider key evidence.

Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or a delegated Senior Editor who was not involved in the original decision. A decision on the appeal will be communicated within 30 working days. The decision on appeal is final.

Note: Disagreement with a reviewer's assessment of significance or novelty is not normally grounds for appeal.

COMPLAINTS

Complaints about editorial processes, reviewer conduct, or publication ethics may be submitted in writing to editorinchief.jls@gmail.com. Complaints will be acknowledged within 10 working days. JLS will investigate all complaints fairly and promptly. Where a complaint cannot be resolved internally, the matter may be referred to COPE for independent guidance.